Key Rival First To Strike …Time to Counter!

It has been reported that one of the key free agent targets of the Cavaliers, Charlie Villanueva, has agreed to terms to join the Detroit Pistons, along with free agent guard from the Bulls, Ben Gordon.

Villanueva was reportedly high on the Cavaliers wish list and would have been a strong fit into the starting lineup alongside LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Delonte West, and Mo Williams. Though the Cavs are willing to spend above luxury tax level and could have used their mid-level exception on Villanueva, the deal he signed with Detroit is believed to have been too rich for the Cavs to compete with.

Could Rasheed Be The Next Former Piston to Become a Cav?

There is some sweet irony that the Cavs could now look to former Cavs nemesis, Rasheed Wallace instead. The signing of Villanueva makes it pretty obvious that Wallace is done as a Piston as Detroit re-tools once again. Still it’s only a few years ago that Wallace got into it with Zydrunas Ilgauskas to the point where Big Z was bleeding and the two had to be seperated, so it would be an interesting mix to have Wallace wearing the wine and gold. History aside, the pursuit of Wallace actually makes sense for a number of reasons:

1) Entering his 15th season in the NBA, Wallace has been the model of consistency. His career average of 15.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game have been pretty much duplicated the last few seasons.

2) Wallace would not demand a long-term deal and, like Shaq, could crave just one more championship before he calls it quits.

3) Wallace plays with a chip on his shoulder and is relentlessly aggressive. Does he rub opponents the wrong way by pretty much complaining any time a foul is called on him? Absolutely. Does he also annoy opponents with his aggressive mindset and seemingly affection for contact and physical play? Damn right. The latter is exactly why the Cavs and their fans have fallen in love with Anderson Varejao. However, Wallace would also bring an outside shooting threat (career +34% from outside the arc), and a confident jump shot….something which Anderson lacks.

There are a lot of options remaining (Ron Artest, Wallace, Anthony Parker, and many more), but I honestly would welcome “Sheed” in a Cavaliers uniform. Will all the pieces fall in place to make it happen? Only time, and Dan Gilbert’s checkbook will tell!

Tags: Cavaliers, Free Agent, Rasheed Wallace